China have hired World Cup-winning manager Marcello Lippi as the new manager of their national football team. Anger on streets in China as football team suffer shock defeat by war-torn Syria Read moreIt is the latest move by China in a national push to become more competitive in football. Under President Xi Jinping, a fan of the sport, China has set the goal of becoming a superpower, but its foray into the sport has so far been a failure. The men’s national team have qualified for just one World Cup, in 2002, and did not score a single goal. In contrast, the women’s team finished as runners-up in the 1999 World Cup.

Source: The Guardian October 22, 2016 11:26 UTC